LWV DelCo Environmental Clearinghouse
Delaware County Environmental Clearinghouse
The Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS) has expanded its nationally recognized PHS LandCare program into Chester, Pennsylvania, bringing its proven vacant land stabilization and greening model to Delaware County for the first time.
Plaintiffs are continuing to press the Trump administration in federal court to restore $3 billion in grant funding for environmental and climate justice programs that would benefit underserved communities, as a Sept. 30 deadline nears.
On August 16, 2026, former state Sen. Franklin L. Kury, author of the Environmental Rights Amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution, passed away at the age of 89. The amendment guarantees the people of Pennsylvania the right to clean air, pure water and preservation of natural, scenic and historic sites.
Upper Darby Township has passed a comprehensive ordinance creating a Lead Poisoning Prevention and Lead Hazard Control program to reduce childhood lead exposure in the township’s older housing. The ordinance addresses lead-based paint hazards in properties built before 1978 when lead-based paint was banned in the United States.
A commercial real estate developer is looking at a 24-acre site at the Congoleum plant in Trainer and Lower Chichester for a possible data center, the first time a proposed center has come up in Delaware County since data centers became controversial due to environmental and electric grid concerns.
Gov. Josh Shapiro signed an executive order that makes his voluntary guardrails for data centers mandatory. The new order distances the governor from project developers after months of mounting pressure to take action. “Starting today, (artificial intelligence) data center developers who want to do business in our commonwealth must respect our communities and abide by these stringent requirements,” Shapiro said. “And if they can’t agree to do that, well, they should stop considering Pennsylvania a home for their project.”
The Radnor Township Environmental Council is focusing this year on promoting native plants and encouraging residents to plant milkweed to nurture monarch butterflies, a very endangered species, as well as on various energy projects.
The 30-second ads, which feature B-roll of a family cooking together, a nurse and a business owner, are a near-carbon copy of ads playing across TV and social media in at least six other states. They all attempt to counter common critiques of data centers, including their enormous demand for water, energy, land and relatively low levels of job creation compared to the tax breaks they receive.
Beginning July 29th, 2026, residents can borrow a “Team Up to Clean Up” litter kit from any Delaware County Libraries’ location—just like checking out a book. Available to anyone with a Delaware County Libraries’ card, these kits provide an easy way for residents to earn volunteer hours, take pride in their neighborhoods, and become part of the solution to litter.
The Monroe Refinery in Trainer, PA, is seeking approval for several large construction projects expected to begin in August 2026 and conclude in December 2029. The Clean Air Council is concerned about several aspects of the projects. Public comments on the projects are due by Monday.
